Indonesian SOE Minister Erick Thohir attended the inauguration ceremony of LRT Jabodebek led by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo today, August 28, 2023. He said this was the third time that he was invited to ride the driverless train with the President.
“Alhamdulillah (All praise to God), it’s getting better. I think this is an extraordinary solution to the traffic density in Bogor, Bekasi, Tangerang, and Jakarta,” Erick said as quoted from the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel on Monday.
He explained that the accelerated construction of the automatic train would help reduce the number of private vehicles entering the capital. He hoped that the elevated train could help overcome the chronic traffic congestion problem in Jakarta.
“Moreover, [private vehicles produce] a lot of air pollution. That is why we really need to use public transportation,” Erick added.
According to him, the construction of mass transportation is the current priority, both the LRT, MRT, and their supporting facilities which must be continuously improved. “Because as one of the most populous cities in the world, public facilities must be prioritized,” he stressed.
President Jokowi inaugurated LRT Jabodebek, which started operation today, at Cawang LRT Station in South Jakarta. In his speech, he urged people to switch from private vehicles to mass transportation.
